Antonio Hidalgo Star Wars
TAUNTAUN OBSERVES THE STRANGE FLYING BEINGS
"I thought they smelled bad on the outside!"
―Han Solo.
Tauntauns were a species of non-sentient reptomammals native to the snowy plains of Hoth.
They were used by members of the Rebel Alliance after they domesticated some of them when they built their new headquarters on Hoth. Jabba Desilijic Tiure kept a stuffed tauntaun head in his palace beside Han Solo, who was at the time frozen in carbonite.
Tauntaun's thick skin helped them survive the icy conditions on Hoth that few other creatures could. Sure-footed and furry, the tauntauns were well adapted to the daytime temperature on Hoth, although they could not handle the chilling extremes of the night, which often reached below −60°C.
They had scaly skin beneath their heavy layers of fur and secreted thick, pungent oils to attract mates. Tauntauns had two sets of nostrils, one large and one small. The large set was used for maximum oxygen intake during intense physical activity, while the small set was used during inactive periods and grazing, to keep out snow. Tauntauns could also alternate breathing between the two sets of nostrils, allowing them to regulate body heat.
Their long claws helped them climb icy surfaces and scrape away lichen and small ice plants which often grew in glacial caves and grottos, the crevices serving as their homes due to heat from the planet's core often coming up through the openings. Sunlight that passed through the ice of the caves allowed the small plants to grow, thus providing a source of food for the creatures.
In the wild, tauntauns often traveled in packs of 25, and could burrow into the snow for warmth. Their tails helped to keep balance while running.
The creatures had an odor that was unpleasant to humans due to layers of fatty blubber that helped them acclimate to the temperatures of Hoth, but was apparently nothing compared to the smell from the inside of a fresh tauntaun corpse.
TAUNTAUN OBSERVES THE STRANGE FLYING BEINGS
"I thought they smelled bad on the outside!"
―Han Solo.
Tauntauns were a species of non-sentient reptomammals native to the snowy plains of Hoth.
They were used by members of the Rebel Alliance after they domesticated some of them when they built their new headquarters on Hoth. Jabba Desilijic Tiure kept a stuffed tauntaun head in his palace beside Han Solo, who was at the time frozen in carbonite.
Tauntaun's thick skin helped them survive the icy conditions on Hoth that few other creatures could. Sure-footed and furry, the tauntauns were well adapted to the daytime temperature on Hoth, although they could not handle the chilling extremes of the night, which often reached below −60°C.
They had scaly skin beneath their heavy layers of fur and secreted thick, pungent oils to attract mates. Tauntauns had two sets of nostrils, one large and one small. The large set was used for maximum oxygen intake during intense physical activity, while the small set was used during inactive periods and grazing, to keep out snow. Tauntauns could also alternate breathing between the two sets of nostrils, allowing them to regulate body heat.
Their long claws helped them climb icy surfaces and scrape away lichen and small ice plants which often grew in glacial caves and grottos, the crevices serving as their homes due to heat from the planet's core often coming up through the openings. Sunlight that passed through the ice of the caves allowed the small plants to grow, thus providing a source of food for the creatures.
In the wild, tauntauns often traveled in packs of 25, and could burrow into the snow for warmth. Their tails helped to keep balance while running.
The creatures had an odor that was unpleasant to humans due to layers of fatty blubber that helped them acclimate to the temperatures of Hoth, but was apparently nothing compared to the smell from the inside of a fresh tauntaun corpse.